Harry Potter: Glory Bows to Me

Amanta's heartbeat paused slightly, and the fingers holding the wine glass tightened quietly.

She knew what Julius was trying to do, of course—he wanted to sway her against Draco and Harry.

But the thing is...some of what he said might not be completely unreasonable.

“If you want to change the world, you must find someone who truly understands you.”

"Rather than... someone who is always bound by family and indecisive."

The moment Julius finished speaking, Amanta's eyes suddenly turned cold.

"Are you trying to sow discord?" There was a sharp alert in her voice.

Julius smiled: "No, I'm just telling you a fact."

He put down his wine glass, looked at her deeply, slowly extended his hand and made an invitation gesture.

"Dance, Amanta."

"It's just a dance, isn't it?"

Amanta narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at his outstretched hand.

Julius' hands were slender and pale, with clean fingertips without a single flaw, but she knew that these hands were holding chess pieces, planning the coldest calculations in the gentlest way.

There was a brief silence in the air.

“You don’t want to?” Julius chuckled, with a hint of amusement in his tone, “Or… what are you worried about?”

Amanta stared at him calmly, thinking about the significance of this matter.

Julius wanted to use this method to observe the attitudes of Draco and others, so as to verify what he called "family constraints."

And she could use this incident to test Draco's reaction.

So, she smiled slightly, slowly raised her hand, and placed her fingertips on Julius' palm.

"As you wish," she said softly.

Julius' eyes changed slightly, and the corners of his lips immediately raised a deeper arc, and he led her to the dance floor.

Their steps were graceful, and as they turned, Amanta's eyes swept in Draco's direction - just in time to meet his suddenly cold eyes.

Her heart moved slightly.

Draco finally broke free from Astoria's entanglement and raised his head, just in time to see this scene.

In the center of the dance floor, Amanta and Julius spun gracefully and smoothly, like a perfectly matched pair.

The candlelight flickered, and her dark green dress swayed slightly, perfectly highlighting her calm and self-controlled temperament.

His pupils suddenly shrank and his breathing stopped instantly.

A sudden surge of anger suddenly surged into my heart.

Julius...he was actually dancing with Amanta?

And Amanta actually agreed? !

His fingertips clenched into fists, his blue-gray eyes coldly locked on the two figures, and he didn't even notice that Astoria was still chattering beside him.

On the dance floor, Amanta had a calm expression, and Julius raised the corners of his lips slightly, with an elusive meaning.

"You know what? If you want, the future of Slytherin can be controlled by you, not... someone who is always bound by the family."

Julius' voice was so soft that only the two of them could hear it.

Amanta raised her eyes sharply and stared at him sharply: "What do you want to say?"

Julius smiled slightly, his eyes dark.

"I just want you to know that you are far more capable than you think. And Draco...may never be able to truly stand by your side."

Amanta's breathing paused slightly, and her fingertips trembled for a moment.

She understood that Julius was trying to drive a wedge between her and Draco.

However, before she could react, an angry voice suddenly interrupted the dance floor -

"Hoffman, what the hell are you doing?"

Draco stormed onto the dance floor, his light grey eyes burning with rage.

Julius still had a smile on his face and said in a gentle tone: "Oh? Isn't this... Master Malfoy?"

Draco suddenly grabbed Amanta's wrist and pulled her behind him, his tone as cold as ice.

"What qualifies you to ask her to dance?"

Julius tilted his head, his eyes inadvertently falling on their clasped hands, and then slowly raised the corners of his lips.

"It seems that my guess was right. You really care about her."

"Shut up!" Draco clenched his fists slightly, veins popping out, "Who do you think you are? How dare you touch her?"

Julius sighed softly and shrugged, "What a shame, Draco, you acted too impulsively."

His eyes swept over Amanta calmly, and he said meaningfully: "Look at the person next to you, Amanta. He can't think calmly and can't really stand at your level. Are you really sure that he can stand shoulder to shoulder with you?"

Draco's face darkened completely: "You..."

Amanta quickly grabbed Draco's wrist and said in a deep voice: "Draco, calm down!"

But Draco's anger had been completely ignited. He suddenly broke free from Amanta's hand and took a step closer to Julius.

"Don't hide behind your words if you have the guts, Hoffman."

Julius smiled faintly and took a step back, his eyes still calm.

He has succeeded.

Draco's loss of control, Amanta's doubts - the cracks he wanted had already appeared.

Just when the atmosphere was about to explode, a sweet voice suddenly sounded, breaking the deadlock.

"Hey, brother, you don't look well."

Draco's brows furrowed even more tightly. Astoria had already taken his arm without him noticing, and was looking at him with a smile, with a hint of mischief in her eyes.

"Sure enough, Sister Amanta will have a more suitable dance partner."

She sighed innocently, then as if realizing she had said something wrong, she covered her mouth shyly.

"Oh, sorry, did I say something wrong? But Mr. Hoffman looks really nice, gentle and elegant... He looks more dignified no matter how you look at him, and more suitable for Sister Amanta."

Draco's face turned cold instantly.

Amanta slightly turned her eyes to the side, her gaze falling on Astoria's face, she still looked weak and innocent, as if she was just saying it casually, but the viciousness hidden behind her smile was glaringly clear.

Julius curled the corners of his mouth slightly, seeming to appreciate Astoria's assist.

But he didn't interrupt, just stood quietly beside Amanta.

Obviously, Astoria's voice attracted more people's attention, and more and more people stopped dancing to watch this farce.

"Draco."

A low and majestic voice suddenly sounded.

The atmosphere in the hall froze for a moment—Lucius was standing not far away, tapping the ground lightly with his silver cane, his eyes sweeping sharply towards his son.

His eyes were sharp, his thin lips were slightly pursed, and his voice was full of unquestionable pressure: "Making a scene at the dance, is this your etiquette for receiving guests?"

Draco's body suddenly stiffened.

He opened his mouth, as if wanting to refute, but facing his father's gaze, he finally held back.

"…I'm sorry, father." His voice was barely audible, and he whispered through gritted teeth.

Lucius's eyes swept over him seriously, then moved away indifferently without saying anything more.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Astoria blinked slightly, then took a step forward and took Draco's arm.

"Brother, let's not make the elders worry here." Her voice was gentle, and her tone was as soft as melted butter. "Why don't we go sit somewhere else?"

Draco's shoulders trembled slightly and his face turned pale, but under his father's gaze, he did not resist.

Finally, he took a deep breath, suppressed all his reluctance, and was naturally pulled away by Astoria.

Before leaving, Astoria turned back gently and looked at Amanta.

The corners of her mouth curled up into a triumphant smile, and her eyes were filled with naked victory.

Amanta's eyes turned cold.

Julius looked at the scene before his eyes, the corners of his lips raised elegantly, revealing a barely perceptible smile.

The party was still going on, the wizards were dancing gracefully, the orchestra's melody never stopped, and in the magnificent hall, everyone was chatting and laughing, as if nothing had happened.

Amanta stood quietly in the corner, tapping the wine glass with her fingertips, her eyes dark and unclear.

"see it?"

A low voice sounded softly.

She didn't need to look back to know who it was.

Julius walked slowly towards her. "Look at them. Look at your friends. Is Draco more hesitant today than usual? Is his stance really the same as yours?"

Amanta didn't answer immediately, her lips slightly pursed.

Julius sighed softly and whispered, "He may like you, but that doesn't mean he can support you wholeheartedly."

Amanta's gaze paused, and finally turned around and looked straight at him: "What do you want to say?"

Julius smiled, his dark eyes unfathomable.

"I just want to wake you up - Draco may never be able to give you what you want."

The air between them stagnated subtly for a moment.

A corner of Amanta's heart seemed to be touched deeply.

She knew that Julius was manipulating her, but did his words...really make no sense?

No, she couldn't deny it—

Today, Draco did show some hesitation that made her uneasy.

This is exactly what she has been most worried about.

The banquet was still lively, with golden lights shining brightly and wizards spinning on the dance floor.

On the balcony on the second floor of the hall, Julius ran his fingers over the railing, overlooking the entire Christmas ball.

The corners of his mouth curled up into a meaningful smile, his fingertips gently stroked the rim of the wine glass, and he murmured in a low voice -

"That's the most interesting game, isn't it, Amanta?"